News & Announcements
Parenting Faithful Children
I’m no expert on parenting—I’m right in the middle of my parenting years. I’ve made and continue to make lots of mistakes, so I’m not claiming to know much about the topic. When I was in youth ministry, however, I began noticing something. A lot of our kids were leaving after high school and not coming back. Even if they stayed in town, they didn’t come back to our church; it was even more the case for those who went away to college or other places. I was always bothered by this…why is it so common? Nationwide, about 70% of Christian teens will graduate high school and not return to church—that’s a national number spread across churches of all denominations and fellowships. That’s a lot of kids. Why is this and is there anything we can do about it?
Over the next several weeks, we’ll dive into a series I’ve entitled, “The 70%: Parenting Faithful Children.” My hope is that we’ll talk about this crisis, what has contributed to it, and what things we can do to slow it down. Sadly, even under ideal conditions, not all of our children will live faithful Christian lives in their adult years. That’s just the reality. There are, however, things that can be done to increase the likelihood that your son or daughter will continue to walk with God after they leave your home. I hope you’ll join us for the duration of the series and learn as we look at the Bible for our answers to this problem.
Scott McFarland
Spring is…Springing
I don’t know about you, but I’m getting tired of the Hazardous Weather Outlooks, Tornado Warnings and Watches, and Floods. It’s almost like we’re paying for the mild winter with a crazy spring. I don’t mean to complain, but weather that comes with a side of destruction is on a different level than it just being a little too hot or too cold for our liking.
It’s not unusual when weather patterns start going crazy to think about the end of the world. Will this be how the world is at the end? Will there be lots of tornados, floods, storms? I don’t know. What I do know is that God gave us a promise to continue sustaining the world throughout its life, until the end. At the end of The Flood, when God gives Noah His covenant never to destroy the earth again, He adds a special promise to it: “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not
cease.” (Gen. 8:22)
Whatever Spring brings, you can be sure that God will keep his promise to sustain the world throughout seasons, harvests, and days. Ultimately, in promising this, God gives us a picture of His promise toward us: He will sustain us throughout our days as well—even when it seems like life is out of control, even when tragedies happen, even when things are hard. God continues to work behind the scenes to sustain His people. God cares for His creation—the earth, the plants/animals, and you.
Scott McFarland
Vacation Bible School 2024
“STELLAR - SHINE JESUS’ LIGHT”
Join us for an unforgettable week of faith, fun, and friendship at our annual Vacation Bible School!
Dates: June 23rd-June 27th
Time: 6PM Each evening
Location: Woodsfield Church of Christ Fellowship Building
What to Expect:
Bible Adventures: Dive into exciting Bible stories, where kids will encounter heroes, miracles, and life-changing lessons.
Creative Crafts: Get hands-on with crafts that reinforce the day’s theme and Scripture.
Worship and Music: Sing, dance, and praise God together with uplifting songs.
Outdoor Exploration: Explore God’s creation through outdoor games.
Snack Shack: Enjoy tasty treats and snacks that tie into our daily Bible lessons.
Friendship and Fellowship: Make new friends and build lasting connections with other kids and leaders.
Upcoming Guest Speakers
Sunday, May 19th - Jeremy Powell
Sunday, June 30th - Travis Williams
These gentlemen will be conducting the Sunday morning worship services while Scott is away fulfilling his National Guard duties.
Men and Women Reflecting His Image
As we wrap our Biblical Manhood and Biblical Womanhood series, I find myself reflecting. The church today is staring down a cultural moment that is unparalleled in modern history. Unfolding before us is a great deconstruction of ideas and institutions that have always been accepted by the majority of society, secular or Christian. As we see things like marriage, gender, sexuality, education, childhood development, and other parts of the fabric of society being questioned and dismantled, it is tempting to run or get angry. What I would encourage us to do is to lean into the teachings of Scripture, find our footing in what God’s word says on these topics, and allow the Truth to encourage us and embolden us to live differently than the world around.
I have said this before, and I truly believe it: the world will get tired of this, eventually. It may not be in your lifetime or mine, but eventually people will come to the end of these debates and will be looking for something that actually works. Once the shiny has worn off, people want to know what they can bank on and build lives on. It’s at that moment that Christians have an opportunity to step in with the Truth. However, it won’t be just because we have the Truth—we will only be able to speak the Truth if we are living the truth. So, in the meantime, as the world is wandering and wrestling, live the Truth. Reflect the image of God proudly in our genders and in our distinctiveness.
Resist the urge to make men and women the same or interchangeable. Men’s strength and courage, women’s nurture and wisdom are gifts that reflect the image of God in ways the other gender cannot.
The world desperately needs to see God.
Let them see Him in us.
Scott McFarland
Sunday Evening Small Groups
Small groups have begun but there is still time to join a group and they will continue through the Fall. There are sign-up sheets in the auditorium by the nursery; please place only one name per line on the sheets.
Joy Bus Update
The J.O.Y. buses did pass the state inspection this week and will continue to run to bring children and adults to listen to the gospel.
Ladies Bible Study
The new ladies study will begin April 20th at 9:00am in the fellowship hall.
"NICE"
by: Sharon Hodde Miller
God never called us to be nice.
We live in a culture that prizes niceness as one of its highest virtues. Niceness keeps the peace, wins friends, gains influence, and serves our reputations well, but it also takes the teeth out of our witness and the power out of our faith. When we choose to be nice instead of faithful, we bear fruits that are bland, bitter, empty, and rotten to the core.
In this 5-session series based on her book, Sharon Hodde Miller explores the seemingly innocent idol that has crept into our faith and quietly corrupted it, producing the bad fruits of cowardice, in authenticity, shallowness, and more. She challenges readers to cultivate a better “tree,” providing practical steps to reclaim our credibility as followers of Christ, and bear better, richer, more life-giving fruits.
Potter Children's Home Collection
Potter Children’s Home & Family Ministries will be collecting the following food items until May 5, 2024, Rice Krispies Cereal; Honey Nut & Almond Cereal; Tea Bags; Bottled Water; snack size potato chips. There will be a tote in the foyer to collect the items in.
What is a Woman?
It sounds so crazy to even ask that question, “What is a woman?” Half a century ago, no one would have questioned what defines a woman or makes her who she is. But, here we are today, trying to redefine gender and sexuality, attempting to reimagine cultural norms so we can create a new world where definitions of masculinity and femininity are fluid and
“non-conforming.”
My point is not to rant about the ills of society, but I do mention that to bring up a point I have been thinking of recently. Since when did we let the world dictate what we believe as truth? The church must be careful as the world progresses more and more into relativism and redefinition not to be swept away by the currents of culture. John has some helpful thoughts on how to discern false teaching within the church that I believe also applies in principle outside the church:
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. (I John 4:1-3)
Don’t believe everything you hear. Test it. Examine it to see if it is from God. Examine the source. In this day and age, we can never be sure. In the end, Scripture and God’s revelation of reality is our only hope to holding on to truth. Everything else is suspect.
Scott McFarland
